J.E.B. Stuart

[whitworth]

First, Stuart was the last large group of Confederates to leave Virginia.
Stuart was, by this fact, out of communications with Lee.

Lee and Stuart underestimated the Army of the Potomac. It would take Stuart more than two days to reach the Potomac River.

Stuart was never ordered to go to Chambersburg and Gettysburg, in Lee's original battle plan for Pennsylvania. Most ignore where Lee originally intended to send his army.

Those who use Stuart as a scapegoat, never read Stuart's Gettysburg OR. If Stuart had disobeyed orders, he wrote enough to hang ten generals.

There is nothing in the cavalry battles from Brandy Station to Gettysburg, that would not indicated that the Union cavalry was not near par with its Confederate cavalry opponents.

[pvt gauss]

Mr. whitworth, Compliments Sir

Stuart was not disobeying orders, and would never do so. He had explained his "Fun" run to Lee and Lee had told him to go ahead and make your Recon BUT be back in time to handle recon. on the right-WItHOUT FAIL!!!. The Rub is that he did not make it back in the time that Lee gave him to Recon. and return to screen, the right flank. And at the same time he did not discover the crossing of the abolitionist over to the west side. If I`m not mistaken Lee aslso transmitted orders to him VIA telegraph[Have no real proof]. . Point is he, [Stuart], got stuck over there . Yes he fought some over there on that side,But the point was he couldn`t get back in time to handle the right and report on the enemy as he had pledged to do and should have. No he is not the scape goat but he is as close as your gonna get in my opine. LEE WAS BLIND !!!
125 Captured wagons mean nothing in retreat as info would have meant two days earlier in advance. He did show his "Force Protection" ability on the way back down south but this was not the days of "The Gallant Pelham" but the covering of a retreat of which he may not of caused, but was certainly a part of. Do I blame him for it all -NO!

Gauss

[Admiral_Porter]

Lee had plenty of cavalry. He just didn't properly use them.

If Lee felt he couldn't operate without Stuart then his orders should not have allowed Stuart to make his raid. He also should not have given Stuart the best cavalry brigades.

And if Lee felt he were so blind without Stuart then what is he doing accepting a major battle at Gettysburg?

There is no one to blame but Lee himself for the Gettysburg defeat. He created the Stuart problem. He advocated Pickett's Charge. He strung out his army on the battlefield trying to accomplish too many things at once.

Once Lee moved out of his Virginia bastion he seemed unable to cope with the dynamic situation he faced.

[milhistbuff1]

Since the distance to Va made it difficult to impossible to escort supplies up, why were imboden and Robertson tied up guarding the wagon train, when they should have been moving to cover Ewell's right, leave Jenkins to guard the supplies. This should have been clear once Lee was informed by Harrison and Longstreet that the AOP was on the move.
Respectfully,
Matt

[nbforrest]

Lee should have reigned in Stuart. But that doesn't change the fact that Stuart screwed up. He misused his discretionary orders. If I were Lee, I would have kept cavalry with me instead of stripping the infantry of any cavalry screen. But I think Lee was right to accept battle once Hill had pitched in. But the July 3 attack should never happened.

Respectfully

[johan_steele]

Lee had 2-3 Brigades w/ him, around 5000 Cav IIRC. The specif numbers & unit are mentioned earlier in the thread.

It was the AoP that licked Lee at Gettysburg not the failure of Stuart.

[r_moody]

I don't place much blame on Stuart for what happened at Gettysburg. Cavalry can't do much but support that large of an engagement. Remember that Lee turned and concentrated at Gettysburg without Stuarts knowledge. There was no way that Stuart could have been warned about that maneuver in time to prevent being cut off as a shield. Knowing that Lee's Army was so spread out he could not have forseen the turn towards Gettysburg in time. Stuarts error was that he was out of communications with Lee for a day too long but hardly responsible for anything during the 2nd or 3rd days actions.

Rick

[nbforrest]

Stuart failed to keep Lee's caveat of maintaining communication with the main army. He has to shoulder the responsibility. That being said, best case scenario Lee could have had Stuart and not fully committed to battle. Then he could have returned South. There would be a lot fewer dead men, but the strategic situation would not change. Which goes back to my thoughts that Gettysburg's importance is overrated.

Respectfully

[whitworth]

How was the spy suppose to know where Stuart was on June 28th. Some more anti-Stuart propaganda, because the ANV really lost at Gettysburg.

If Stuart made serious mistakes and "rode around the AoP" in a flagrant way, why did Robert E. Lee keep JEB Stuart in command of the cavalry?

If Stuart was flagrantly abusive of his command, why wasn't Stuart cashiered?

[whitworth]

I doubt one other poster on this question has ever read the Gettysburg OR's, particularly Stuart's OR.
Lee made the movements north in such a manner that all corps had to move like clockwork and the AoP couldn't make an unanticipated move across the Potomac River.
Lee made several misjudgments. He observed to Jefferson Davis that the AoP was moving toward the Potomac River over a week before he was informed that the AoP crossed the river. No historian I know of accounts for that fact and why Lee thought the AoP would move so slowly.

Due to a number of factors, Stuart did not get started on his trip east through the Bull Run Mountains until June 25. Hooker was moving several corps across the Potomac River on the same date. There was no physical way Stuart could report to Lee, from June 26 to 28, that the AoP had crossed the Potomac. Stuart was never north of the AoP. Lee totally underestimated the AoP move into Maryland.
Lee also did not have cavalry screening in Maryland, to detect any movement. Stuart had been ordered to screen the right flank of Ewell's Corps. Ewell was moving his corps north to Carlisle and Early's division to York. By June 26, Early was in Gettysburg and moving east. There was no reason for Stuart to go towards Gettysburg or even west to Chambersburg, where Lee was. Once Hooker got the march on Stuart, Stuart could never get north of Hooker, south of Gettysburg and south of Chambersburg.